WINONA LAKE, Ind. — Austin Branagan scored 21 points to lead Goshen College on Saturday in a 77-61 men's basketball loss to Grace College at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in each team's final Crossroads League game before the Christmas holiday.
Parker Sullivan scored a career-high 14 points with four 3-pointers and Tahj Curry had 13 points, while Kedrick Bibby came two points short of a double-double with 13 rebounds to lead all players.
The Maple Leafs (3-10, 1-5) shot 50 percent in the first half and went into the locker room trailing 35-32, but that figure fell off to 32 percent over the final 20 minutes and Grace outscored them 42-29 in that span.
Matt Jennings scored the first four points and eight of the first 12 for Grace (6-3, 1-2), which led 15-4 after 5 minutes. A Curry triple drew Goshen back within four at 19-15 with 10:38 remaining, but the Maple Leafs could get no closer until Curry scored four of the last six points going into halftime.
Grace went on a 6-2 run out of the locker room to push the lead to 9, but Goshen scored 7 straight points capped by a Sullivan 3-pointer to get back within 55-54 at the 10:53 mark.
The next eight field goals, however, went in the other basket as the Lancers blew the game open with a 16-3 run.
Jennings led the Lancers with 23 points, 4 assists and 4 steals while Haden Deaton finished with 16 points and Jake Wadding had 12 points to go with 9 rebounds. The Lancers shot 48 percent for the game.
Goshen returns to non-conference action on the downslope into Christmas break, hosting Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in Ruth Gunden Gymnasium
